1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to musical instruments. In particular, the invention relates to a portable drum.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a drum is a musical instrument consisting of a frame or hollow vessel of wood, metal, or earthenware, called a shell, with a membrane of hide or plastic, called a head, stretched across one or both ends, and sounded by percussion; that is, by striking the instrument with the hands or with sticks. Drums come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. For example, there is the African Djembe drum where the drum shell is carved from a single piece of wood and the drum head may be dried goat skin.
The quality of the sound of the drum is largely dependent on the shell design and the material used in its construction. The height of the drum shell is an important factor as its size defines the length of the sound waves it amplifies. For example, generally the height of the drum shell should be between 23 and 26 inches to accommodate the required bass sound.
Because of the size of the various drums, there is a need for a portable drum that may be transported from place to place more easily and efficiently as a single unit and that may then be set up and used while maintaining its original sound characteristics. Additionally, there is therefore a need for this portable drum to include a tensioning system that connects the various parts of the portable drum and maintains the sound quality of the portable drum and also allows for its tuning as conditions warrant.